opinion. 1.4 vs 2x teleconvertor for my 100-400L

[Paul]

I am thinking about ordering a 1.4x tele-convertor for my 100-400L. Should I get the 2x instead? thoughts?

[MN Shutterbug]

The Kenko 1.4 will auto focus if conditions are good where the 2x will not. I recently bought the 1.4 and and with good light and contrast it does a good job. Just make sure you get the right model Kenko. Then again, maybe you don't mind focusing manually. Just note, the 1.4 will increase the max aperture to f8 and the 2x to f11 at the long end.

[Dbl]

Well Paul I will give you my opinion, I owned that lens for just a short time (3 months) so I don't have tons of experience with it. But I likely shot 5,000 frames with it in that time frame.

There are a few things you need to be aware of.

With a Canon 1.4x converter attached to the lens, the maximum aperture becomes F8. Only a 1 series camera body will allow auto focus. There is a technique to tape the pins on the lens to get it to auto focus but I had limited success with it on a 1.6 crop body. The focus speed was way to slow to be of any use to me. To get the sharpest result with a 1.4x extender you will likely have to stop down to F11. Even at F16, using the extender, you will get a sharper result than you will get at F8.

When you consider the loss of auto focus capability and the resultant loss of shutter speed, the use of an extender with the 100-400 might really prove to be not worth it. If you want to hone your manual focus skills good luck! A better option would be to rent or borrow a 1.4 TC and try it and see if you are happy with the results.

Bottom line, I would not spend the money on a TC for that lens, if you can use it on another lens you own as a primary use of the TC you could then experiment with it on the 100-400.

[MN Shutterbug]

I see Dan posted at the same time I did. To reiterate, the Kenko 1.4 will AF with that lens as long as it's the Kenko PRO 300 DGX. If you're not in a rush, I can take a couple pics with that combination this weekend and show you the results.

[Paul]

MIke, IF you want to take a couple pics that would be cool. Are you using the Kenko on your Canon body and lense?

[Paul]

Also I am in a bit of a rush but still have time. My Brother is riding in the Aarowhead 135 Ultra, a bike race in international falls 135 miles on snowmobile trails, and I am his moral support crew. I am going to head to the bog for a day or two depending on how the race is going.

[MN Shutterbug]

MIke, IF you want to take a couple pics that would be cool. Are you using the Kenko on your Canon body and lense?

With the 100-400L on the 50D. I just hope a bird shows up this weekend. It's been pretty dead around here lately. If not, I'll get a pic of something for you.

[finnbay]

Totally agree with Dan. I've experimented with extenders on both the 100-400 as well as the 70-200 and was not happy with either. Very difficult to get an image that isn't soft.

[Dbl]

I'm with you Ken, I have never been happy with the TC on even my 70-200. Now the new 70-200/2.8 II with the upgraded 1.4 TC I understand is a very good combo. I just don't like the soft results or even the loss of some focus speed even with the Mark IV. The only lens I use my 1.4 on with any success is the 300/2.8. It works very well with that combo.

[Todd Caswell]

I had a 1.4 on my 70-200F/4 and was never happy with the results either, bought it used and sold it a month later.

[MN Shutterbug]

Guess we'll just have to see what my results are this weekend. I haven't had the 1.4 that long, just long enough to test it so I'd know if I wanted to keep it. Under the right conditions I was satisfied. It's definitely something I wouldn't leave attached but can come handy in a pinch. Anyway, I'll have something to show as soon as we get some brighter weather, this weekend the latest.

[Wayne Ek]

Paul, I had to chuckle when I opened your post. This morning because it was so cold -11 degrees and I was bore, I pulled my Canon 1.4xII off of my prime (400)lens and put it on my 100-400 (4.5-5.6) lens which I have never used it on. To see what it would do. These were shot thru a plate glass slider and the lite was a little on the harsh side. PP helped. The red squirrel was poorly shot and OOF to begin with. But they should give you some idea. However I was only shooting from 10-15 feet away from the subjects.

Hopefully you will get some idea on how it works close in. Shot with 1D Mark IV.

[Dbl]

Keep in mind Wayne you are shooting a 1 series camera which retains auto focus. Paul will not have that option on his 1.6 crop camera without taping or using third party adapters.

[MN Shutterbug]

My yard was pretty dead most of the weekend but did come up with a few test shots with the 100-400 plus Kenco 1.4. Due to me hand holding with elbows braced on the window sill, I shot all these at the maximum aperture of f8. For my intended use, I was satisfied with the results. The Kenko is not something I'd ever leave attached, but there are situations where you can't approach as close as you'd like to and at the distance where the 1.4 is needed is at a far enough distance where the wildlife won't feel threatened. In other words, if the AF doesn't lock in and you have to switch to manual focus, you'd have enough time. The 100-400 itself needs a fair amount of contrast for the AF to work fast and with the 1.4 attached, it needs even more contrast. Once again, in a pinch it can come in handy and at an affordable cost.

Another thought is, you can do like I did and order from a reputable source with a 30 day return policy and if it doesn't seem like it will fit your needs, send it back.

On this shot of a feeder at about 25 ft., the AF locked in fast.

Due to the size of the target, this was shot with manual focus. The tree was about 60 ft. away and the downy was about 60 ft. high. I would never have even spotted him if he hadn't flown from my feeder to the tree.

Here is another one that had to be shot on manual. It was too close at full zoom with little contrast.

This crow was 2 yards away, about 125 ft. and maybe 40 ft. high. Nice contrast and the AF locked in fast.

The AF locked in on this one but slowly.

It hunted a bit on this one too, but the Cardinal wasn't rushing me.

There you have it Paul. I have no idea your intended use, but for wildlife that you can't approach, it does come in handy. They may not be as sharp as they would be without the 1,4, but you'd also need to be quite a bit closer without it and maybe end up with nothing, and a not quite tack sharp image is better than no image at all.

One more thing, if you have the focus set at one shot, you can focus on the object the critter is on and while holding the shutter button halfway down, pan the lens to the subject and click. Works great when the branch is large and the bird is small, especially at a long distance.

[Deitz Dittrich]

might be something I look into at some point.. would that work with my cannon t5i and tamron 18-270 to get a little extra distance from the lense?

[Dbl]

might be something I look into at some point.. would that work with my cannon t5i and tamron 18-270 to get a little extra distance from the lense?

Hmmm I know the Canon extender will physically not fit on the lens, the TC's front lens and the Tamron's rear lens will come in contact with each other and scratch the glass. As far as third party, its possible but you might be down to manual focus and no aperture information. You WILL most certainly lose picture quality.

[Paul]

Thanks, Mike for taking some test shots for me. I broke my snow shoe and had to drop 300 bucks on a new set of shoes. But this pair has lifetime warranty, now going to let that happen again. So needless to say the Teleconvertor has been put on hold. Mike I also sending you a reply to your PM in a minute.

[MN Shutterbug]

No problem Paul. It gave me something to do and a reason to dust the camera off.